


Kiss Me Slowly

by charliewrites



Series: Kiss Me Slowly [1]
Category: Lovely Little Losers, Nothing Much to Do
Genre: AU, First Meetings, M/M, Stargazing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-11
Updated: 2016-04-11
Packaged: 2018-06-01 15:18:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6525535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charliewrites/pseuds/charliewrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Balthazar meets someone at Paige's birthday party.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kiss Me Slowly

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I don't know what happened. I sat down to start writing an exam paper, and suddenly I had this.
> 
> This story was inspired by the song 'Kiss Me Slowly' by States // Capitals - hence the title.

It wasn’t that Balthazar disliked parties, exactly. He liked people he knew around him being happy and a little reckless; he liked the feeling that anything could happen because everyone was various levels of drunk and desperate. 

It was more that he rarely had an instrument to hide behind, and that his friends seemed to abandon him for people he didn’t know. They’d all promise to stay with him or at least include him in the conversation, but at some point he’d feel left out because they’d start talking about something he didn’t know anything about. So he’d make up some excuse to leave them alone and somehow end up sitting alone either in a quiet corner or outside, looking at the stars. 

Paige’s birthday party was no different. She and Chelsey had made a valiant effort to include him; introducing him to everyone he didn’t know who came to talk to them, and explaining the topics they talked about if he didn’t understand them. 

He had had a nice conversation with Paige and a guy called Zeb about music, but then Zeb had asked Paige about a project that the two of them had worked on for a while, and Balthazar had been left to just stand there and listen awkwardly to a debate about chords for a song he hadn’t heard. He tried offering his opinion, but they hadn’t heard him over the music so he’d made his excuses and wandered around the party alone for a few minutes. 

When the bass felt like it was dictating the rhythm of his heartbeat, he decided to go outside to get some fresh air. He lay down on the grass, hands resting behind his head, and looked up at the sky. 

It was a beautiful night; it looked like over a thousand stars were out, blinking down at him. He breathed in the warm summer air. The music from inside was muffled, but he was pretty sure they were playing Fife and the Drums. He smiled at the thought of his friends jumping up and down, having the time of their lives. 

For a moment, the music became louder and clearer – it was definitely Fife and the Drums – as the door was opened and closed. Whoever had come out was talking on the phone. 

‘Yeah, nah, I’m at Paige Moth’s birthday party… look, I’ll check the calendar when I come back to the flat but- No, I don’t think so… Listen, can I call you tomorrow? It’s just, I don’t have any way of… Alright- Yep… Right, talk to you later’

Balthazar tried to ignore the stranger, but when it was the only clear noise, that was a difficult task.

‘You alright, mate?’ the stranger called out, and it took a moment for Balthazar to realise that he’d been talking to him. 

‘Huh?’ he said, lifting his head, trying to find the guy in the light pouring out of the windows. His silhouette was just visible on the path, a few metres from the door. Balthazar laid his head back on his hands. ’Yeah, just chilling’

‘Can I join you?’ the stranger asked. It sounded like he was closer now. 

‘Be my guest’ Balthazar said, keeping his eyes on the stars.

The stranger lay down beside him, and for a moment they were both quiet, looking up at the starry sky. 

‘Do you know anything about constellations?’ the stranger asked softly, as if he was afraid to shatter the moment if his voice was too loud. 

‘Nah’ Balthazar replied. ‘I tell myself to read up on them every time I do this, but then I always forget’

The guy hummed in agreement. ‘I know the feeling’

There was another moment where they were just silently watching the stars. Balthazar could feel the heat from the stranger’s body beside him, and he couldn’t make up his mind about whether it made him uncomfortable or just a little too comfortable. 

‘Is that a shooting star?’ the stranger asked, pointing up at the sky.

Balthazar looked in the direction he was pointing before letting out a small laugh. ‘Nah, that’s a plane’

‘Oh’ the guy said, sounding a bit embarrassed. ‘Right’

Silence once again dominated; the muffled music from inside pulsing out. Somewhere in the night, far off, a dog was barking.

‘It’s mind-blowing, isn’t it?’ the stranger then asked.

‘What is?’

‘Every single, tiny light in the sky is a giant, burning sun that’s light years away’ he said with such awe that Balthazar couldn’t help but turn his head to look at him. He was looking up at the sky, looking as captivated as Balthazar felt. ‘And the thing is, we can only see a tiny fraction of our own galaxy, which is tiny compared to some. Doesn’t it just make you feel so small and insignificant?’

At the last part, the stranger turned his head and met Balthazar’s eyes. Something shifted in Balthazar, but he couldn’t quite place what it was. This felt like a significant moment in his life, like if he was given a pop quiz on his life when he died, this would be one of the questions.

It was hard seeing the guy’s face in the darkness since the light pouring out from the windows didn’t reach as far as where they were, but Balthazar knew that he was a good-looking guy. 

They just lay there, looking into each other’s eyes for a moment, before Balthazar realised that the guy had actually asked him a question. It may have been rhetorical but he still felt like he should say something. 

‘I think it’s comforting’ he said, his voice barely above a whisper. The moment felt so intimate that speaking at any higher volume would shatter it completely. ‘Knowing that the universe is bigger than we can even imagine; it means that if we make a mistake or a wrong decision, it doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. The universe doesn’t care’

‘Hmm… I never thought about it like that’ the guy said, a soft smile on his face. ‘I guess that is kinda comforting’

There was another moment where they just lay there, looking into each other’s eyes. It wasn’t until the door to the flat was opened again that their moment was shattered. Balthazar sat up. 

‘I should go home’ he said, not entirely sure why his heart was beating as fast as it was. He felt a bit dizzy, and was that because of the alcohol in his blood or the intimacy of the moment he’d just shared with a complete stranger?

The guy sat up as well. ‘You need a lift? I have a designated driver here somewhere’

‘Nah, I live not far from here. I’ll just walk. Clear my head a little’ Balthazar replied, getting up and taking a moment for the dizziness to leave him. Had he really had that much to drink?

‘Oh, okay’ the stranger said, getting up as well. ‘I think I’ll find her anyway; I’m actually knackered’

Balthazar felt awkward as they walked side by side to go back inside – the stranger to find his designated driver, Balthazar to go say goodbye to Paige and Chelsey. He didn’t look at the guy, but kept his eyes resolutely on his shoes before they parted, and he went on a hunt to find his friends.

It didn’t take him long; they were seated in the kitchen, Paige in Chelsey’s lap, their faces close to each other. 

‘Hey, so I’m going to head off’ he said, gesturing vaguely in the direction of the door. That got the girls’ attention, and Chelsey’s smile fell into a pout.

‘Already?’ she asked as Paige got up and walked toward Balthazar, putting a hand on his shoulder. 

‘Are you okay?’ she asked, studying his face. He was aware that she didn’t exactly need a verbal answer, but he felt like he had to give her one anyway. 

‘Yeah, I’m just tired. I had a good time, though’ he said, smiling at both the girls. 

Paige pulled him in for a hug. Hugs from Paige were always the strong, heart warming kind. She was one of those people who hugged like she meant it; she didn’t do half-hearted hugs. It was nice.

‘I’ll see you on Monday’ Paige said when she pulled back. Balthazar smiled at her and nodded.

‘Bye, Chelsey’ he said, hugging her before leaving. 

He put his hands in his pockets and drew a deep breath when he got back outside. Then he started walking down the pathway to the road, looking forward to another peaceful walk through the Wellington streets. 

However, he didn’t get further than the end of the path before he heard someone jogging up to him from behind. 

‘So it turns out my designated driver decided to do body shots about an hour ago’ the stranger from before said when he reached him. ‘Which way are you headed?’

Balthazar considered his answer. Either way could work, to be fair; one would just be a bit longer than the other. He pointed down the way that would be the long way round, not sure if he was hoping for the stranger to need to go the same or opposite way. 

‘Hey, me too! We can walk together, if you want’ the guy said with a dazzling smile that made something stir in Balthazar’s gut. 

He didn’t say anything; just nodded. They walked in silence for a while, the pulsing bass of the music from the party still audible for at least the first ten minutes. 

‘So how do you know Paige?’ the stranger asked suddenly, though Balthazar had expected him to say something. For at least five minutes he’d been taking deep breaths, gesturing like he’d been about to say something but then thought better of it. It was kind of charming, if he was honest. 

‘Uh, we met at an Open Mic, and then we realised we have a couple classes together. You?’ Balthazar asked. Not that he was opposed to walking in silence, but the stranger had made an effort at conversation, and Balthazar wasn’t one to be impolite. Plus, he was kinda cute, even if Balthazar was a bit drunk and had only seen him in the darkness. 

‘I’m doing a play with her and Chelsey’ he replied. Just then he tripped, taking a hold of Balthazar’s arm in order to not fall flat on his face. 

‘I really hope you don’t have choreography, then’ Balthazar laughed and tried to ignore the tiny flutter in his chest at the stranger’s touch, his warm hand still resting on Balthazar’s upper arm. 

‘Well, hopefully I won’t be drunk on opening night’ the guy laughed and let go, leaving a patch of Balthazar’s arm suddenly a lot colder than before. 

They slipped into another silence as their laughter died down. Once again, though, it didn’t last long. Not that Balthazar had expected it to. This guy seemed to be very interested in talking to him, which was sort of nice. 

‘So do you believe in aliens?’ the guy asked, looking at Balthazar until Balthazar looked back at him. 

The hint of a blush on the guy’s face in the darkness prompted a tiny smile to fight its way onto Balthazar’s face. ‘What, like little green men?’

‘I don’t know’

‘Nah, I mean, it would probably be naïve to believe that we’re on the only populated planet in the universe. But I don’t think they’re necessarily like we imagine them’ he replied with a shrug. 

‘Yeah, I guess that makes sense’ the stranger said, stopping by a door. ‘This is me’

Balthazar stopped as well, ending up a little closer to the guy than he’d intended. His pulse was racing for some reason. 

They stood there, looking at each other in the darkness. Balthazar bit his lower lip, watching the guy wetting his own. 

It felt inevitable. The guy took a step closer to him, his eyes on Balthazar’s lips, and Balthazar couldn’t help but lean in. 

The kiss started out a little sloppy – drunk as they both were – but they soon found a rhythm, the guy’s hands moving so one was on the side of Balthazar’s face, the other on his waist. Balthazar rested his hands on the guy’s biceps. 

It was a good kiss. Great, in fact. Sure, the guy tasted like a mix of beer and vodka, but Balthazar probably didn’t taste much better himself, having mainly drunk red wine and fire whiskey. What made it great was the fact that, apart from the first few seconds of sloppiness, they seemed to be so in synch. 

It was slow until it wasn’t. The guy pulled Balthazar closer by his waist, Balthazar’s fingers curled around the fabric of his sleeves. The guy’s hand moved from the side of his face to his hair, and Balthazar let out a breathy, involuntary moan. 

This seemed to encourage the guy as he started trailing kissed down Balthazar’s jaw and neck. Balthazar’s hands were now in fists around the fabric of the guy’s sleeves. 

‘Wanna come inside?’ the guy asked, a little breathless when he pulled away. 

Balthazar froze. The one sentence pulled him back into reality, and it hit him like a ton of bricks what he was actually doing. He didn’t know this guy at all. All he knew was that he was in a play with Paige and that they were standing outside his flat. He took a step back, releasing his grip on the stranger’s shirt, stepping out of his hold on him. 

‘I-‘ he started, not knowing how to even begin to explain how much of a mistake that kiss had been. ‘I’m sorry, I just-‘

‘No, it’s okay, man. I get it’ the guy said, running his hand through his hair, taking a deep breath. 

‘It’s not that you’re not… it’s just that… I- I don’t-‘ Balthazar had a hard time finding the right words. ‘I don’t actually do this. Like, ever. And, um… I don’t even know your name’

‘It’s fine, I get it. I get carried away sometimes. It’s cool; we’re cool’ the guy said, a smile on his face, but Balthazar could tell he was just as embarrassed as Balthazar felt.

‘Okay, good. I’m sorry if I, like… led you on or something’ Balthazar said, pulling his sleeves over his hands. 

‘No, really. It’s cool’ the guy assured him. 

They stood there for a moment, not sure what to do, before Balthazar gestured down the road. 

‘I should…’ he said, awkwardly turning and started to walk toward his flat. 

‘It’s Peter, by the way!’ the guy called out after him. 

Balthazar stopped and turned around to see the guy looking back at him, his hand on the door handle. 

‘Balthazar’ he called back with a smile, biting his lower lip. 

‘Balthazar’ Peter said it like he was considering it. ‘Goodnight, then, Balthazar’

‘Night, Peter’ Balthazar said before he turned around and resumed his walk home. He heard Peter open and close his door and couldn’t help but wonder what was going through his head right now. 

Was he, too, having a hard time not smiling? Did he, too, try to ignore the flutter in his chest as he thought back on that kiss that somehow still lingered on Balthazar’s lips? 

Balthazar ran his tongue over his lips, the taste of Peter still vaguely present, his heart pounding. 

This night had definitely not gone how he’d expected it to.

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea where this is going. I don't even know if I *should* continue this or if it's enough in itself.


End file.
